Scratchin’ (cooking from scratch) is addictive. The more you scratch, the more you wanna scratch. People start scratchin’ for all kinds of reasons — to save money, to save the planet, to save their health. Cooking from scratch is almost always cheaper. It spares the environment from all those boxes and packages filling up the trash, not to mention distribution impacts. Cutting out preservatives and other additives along with controlling salt and sugar contributes to better health. It’s also challenging, creative, and fun.

And time-consuming.

That’s where scratch mixes — your own homemade convenience products — come into play. The deeper I go into cooking from scratch, the more I value my homemade mixes that save me time and let me make it from scratch at the same time. Scratchin’ doesn’t have to be a full-time job. In fact, you can cook from scratch even if you have a full-time outside job. It just takes a little planning. Have a mix day once a month! Or have a mix evening. If you have scratchin’ friends, you can even get together and make it a party.

To plan a mix day:

1. Make your lists! You need a list of everything you plan to mix up, and a list of all the necessary ingredients (which will mostly be staples). Be sure to calculate how much you need of each item for how much mix you want to make. Don’t forget your containers, and go re-useable wherever possible. Glass canning jars, repurposed glass jars from store-bought items, plastic containers or plastic baggies all work. Even plastic baggies can be re-used time and again. No wasting! Remember that some mixes make great gifts, so plan some special jars and ribbons or raffia or other special treatments for mixes you intend to give away.

2. Plan your storage space. Where are you going to put your mixes? The refrigerator and freezer can extend the shelf life of some mixes. Others do just fine in the pantry. Rearrange and reorganize before your mix day to prepare a place for everything you intend to make.

3. Go shopping. Bulk is best when shopping for your staple ingredients. If you have an Amish bulk store available, that’s a wonderful place to try first. There are also bulk whole foods outlets in most areas. Sometimes you can even “shop” in your own pantry or freezer for your own dried goods from your garden. (Plant more herbs this year to get ready for next year’s mixes!)

4. Print out all your mix recipes and set aside your time, a day once a month, a few hours every few weeks, whatever suits your schedule.

5. Plan the day’s meal around a crock pot or similar no-fuss dish so you can devote your kitchen time on mix day to mixing.

6. Make a 3 x 5 or other type of small card with the instructions for using each mix. If you use 3 x 5 cards, you can hole punch the corner of each card and put the cards on a ring or tie with a ribbon. Hang your stack of cards in the pantry from a hook or nail, or store in a handy drawer in the kitchen. Whenever you’re using a mix, you can just grab your note cards and go!

8. Line up all your supplies and ingredients plus any small appliances needed such as food processors or blenders. Throw all the cats out for the day. (That one might not apply to everybody.)

9. Start mixing! The better prepared you are, the faster it will go. Most mixes can actually be put together in a matter of minutes. You’ll be surprised how you can zip along packing mixes when you have everything prepared and lined up. It becomes an assembly line in which you can make multiple batches of numerous mixes in a matter of hours.

10. Store everything away in the places you’ve cleared for them and clean up! Enjoy your crock pot dinner and savor the sweetness of your accomplishments!

Speaking of mixes…. Homemade onion soup and dip mix is the latest hankering I had to add to my mix repertoire. I made a recipe request at Farm Bell Recipes and within a matter of hours I had a great new mix at my fingertips from CindyP. (Looking for anything in particular? Make a recipe request at Farm Bell Recipes. Ask and you shall receive!)

It’s been a busy spring here at Stringtown Rising Farm, with more attention to fencing and other animal needs than the garden, which is showing its sore neglect and here it is nearly the end of spring. I’m considering a total revamp of garden plans this year. We plan to get our free produce from the farmers market again this year, so mayhap the home garden will focus on what we grow best here, a few tomatoes and green beans and a couple other veggies with a bigger focus this year on growing a great big herb garden. I’ve never had enough space for herbs, so maybe I can turn this garden disaster around into an herb palooza.

Now that I have my new Italian kitchen (pasta maker, pasta drying rack, and ravioli maker), I’m eager to try out my new toys. My cousin picked up all of this for me at the thrift store for a total of $25!!! If you’ve gotten a pasta maker recently, or are just thinking about getting a pasta maker, watch me learn — and try your hand at pasta with me!

*Blast from the Past: My Real Garden

Yes, indeedy, I’ve been faking you out all along and this — THIS!! — is my real garden, not the mess I’ve been showing off.

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"It was a cold wintry day when I brought my children to live in rural West Virginia. The farmhouse was one hundred years old, there was already snow on the ground, and the heat was sparse-—as was the insulation. The floors weren’t even, either. My then-twelve-year-old son walked in the door and said, “You’ve brought us to this slanted little house to die."Keep reading our story....

Oh, oh. I held off on my planned holiday order just because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by holiday chores. Now I may have to make it a self birthday gift for spring. BUT IT WILL HAPPEN!Old Geezer on The Pepperoni Roll Rush

We love our pepperoni rolls, I made 4 dozen this morning, cut the pepperoni last night to save time.The. house smells so good.Joell on The Pepperoni Roll Rush

I know you are always extremely busy this time of year, but WOW!!! Good to see a post - I'm sure it will be a while before you have time to post again, so Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...lol! yvonnem on The Pepperoni Roll Rush

I ordered pepperoni rolls last year for a friend's birthday and they werea big hit! mgwolson on The Pepperoni Roll Rush

This is an excellent recipe, and I made these this evening. Its not mentioned here explicitly, but I heated my oil to about 325 deg F before adding the hush puppies. I then fried them about 2 minutes before flipping them over for another 2 minutes until they were a proper brown color. The crispiness of these hush puppies are unmatched and I would recommend this recipe to anyone.Bobby Hill on Hush Puppy Heaven